2. Lightly spread the pesto over the circle of pastry. Top each with 2 slices of tomato then season with sea salt (or vegetable salt) and black pepper, and lightly coat with cooking oil spray or brush on a little extra virgin olive oil.

3. Sprinkle the fetta (or vegan equivalent) over the top of the tarts, then bake for 15-20 minutes or until the pastry is golden. Serve tarts warm, topped with fresh rocket.

5. Place 1 heaped tablespoon pumpkin mixture in one corner of each strip. Fold filo over to cover filling, forming a triangle. Continue folding, keeping triangle shape, until the end of the pastry strip.

6. Arrange on trays. Brush with nuttelex or butter. Repeat with remaining pastry and filling.

7. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden and crisp. Serve triangles with salad.

Open packet of firm tofu and drain water. To dry tofu, simply pat it dry with a clean paper towel. Cut the tofu into small even-sized portions about 2cms long and 1 cm width.Fry tofu segments in a small amount of olive oil, in a generous-sized frying pan, until the pieces are lightly browned. While frying, regularly turn the tofu to stop it sticking to the frying pan. Sprinkle a little soy sauce over the tofu to give it a little extra zing and a few drops of lemon juice. After the tofu is fried to a light golden brown, remove the tofu and place in a bowl. Chop up the mushrooms and fry until well-done, and place in the bowl with the cooked tofu. This dish takes approximately twenty-five minutes to prepare. Remember to steam or boil the rice while you are preparing the tofu and mushrooms so that everything is ready at the same time. Brown rice often takes ten to twenty minutes longer to cook than white rice. Just check the rice packet for cooking instructions.

Special Sauce for Tofu and Mushroom Dish

Put all the sauce ingredients in the frying pan :- olive oil, hoisin sauce, port, vegetable stock cube diluted in ¾ cup of water, chopped ginger, sugar, and chilli & ginger sauce. Stir all the ingredients together with a wooden spoon and heat ingredients slowly until simmering gently. Simmer for five to ten minutes so the ginger softens and the different tastes mingle. Carefully add the cooked tofu and mushroom to the sauce. Simmer gently for another five to seven minutes.Moisten one tablespoon of cornflour with a little water, and stir until it is a smooth thick paste, and add to the sauce. This thickens the sauce. If you are gluten-intolerant, leave out the cornflour, and gently simmer the mixture for a little longer until ready.Serve sweet and sour tofu and mushrooms on a bed of steamed or boiled rice.

..Lentil Patties with Yogurt Mint Sauce

Serves 4Uncooked patties can be made a day ahead and refrigerated, covered, or frozen.

Combine lentils, celery, carrot, coriander and cumin with the water in a large saucepan; bring to boil. Simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes or until the mixture is thickened; cool.Stir in breadcrumbs, shape mixture into four patties. Toss patties in flour; dip in egg white (or vegan equivalent); then combine extra breadcrumbs and parsley.Yogurt Mint Sauce: Combine all sauce ingredients in a bowl and mix well.Heat oil in large non-stick frying pan; cook patties until well browned on both sides. Drain on absorbent paper; serve with the Yogurt Mint Sauce and grilled vegetables or a green leaf salad. Can be used as a vegetarian alternative on a burger.

Combine spinach, capsicum, artichokes and olives in a large bowl.Lemon Basil Dressing: Combine all dressing ingredients in a screw-top jar; shake well.Cook mushrooms on an oiled, heated grill plate (or grill or barbecue), loosely covered with foil, for about 5 minutes or until browned and tender; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover to keep warm.On same oiled grill (or grill or barbecue), cook the haloumi slices quickly and in batches, over a high heat until browned lightly on both sides.Top the spinach mixture with mushrooms, haloumi and Lemon Basil Dressing.Not suitable to freeze or microwave...

Wash and arrange the red and green leaves of the salad vegetables, and sprouts in a big bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl. Then sprinkle lightly with a Greek salad dressing or the special big salad dressing noted here.

BIG SALAD DRESSINGJuice of one lemon½ to 1 teaspoon of minced garlic (depends how much you like garlic)(optional) 1 tablespoon flaxseed oil

Mix the salad dressing ingredients together and sprinkle over the big salad. Only use as much as you feel is necessary. This salad goes very well with the Sweet and Sour Tofu and Mushrooms with Rice dish.

Pound the pepper, galangal, shallots and miso paste together in a mortar, mix to a paste. Alternatively, place all these in a blender. The mixture need not be smooth. Place the spice mix in a saucepan with vegetable stock.Cut pumpkin and gourd into cubes. Cut baby corn (or broccoli) into the same size. Roughly chop mushrooms and add to the pot with pumpkin, and corn (or broccoli); cook until pumpkin is tender. Add the gourd (or tofu) and continue to simmer until just done. Adjust the seasoning with soy sauce.Remove from the heat and add basil leaves to serve.

1. Put the saffron threads in a bowl, cover with boiling water and allow to stand for 10 minutes.2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes or until golden.3. Add the garlic and spices and cook for 2 minutes, or until the spices are fragrant.

4. Add the orange and white sweet potato, potato, chopped tomatoes, apricots, saffron, chickpeas and 1 cup of water. 5. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes or until the potato is soft.6. Add the capsicum, lemon and almonds and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until the capsicum is soft.

Cover the noodles with warm water and soak for 20 minutes. Drain, then cook in boiling water for 2 minutes, or until tender. Drain in a colander and set aside. Place the tofu block in a saucepan of simmering water then drain, slice into 1.5cm cubes and set aside.Heat the stock, add ginger and chilli and bring to the boil. Remove the ginger with a slotted spoon. Reduce heat and add tofu cubes and bok choy. Bring it back to the boil and simmer until the bok choy is just tender.Have 4 deep soup bowls ready. Pile a quarter of the noodles and some shallots in each bowl, then ladle the soup carefully over the top, arranging the ingredients to distribute them evenly. Sprinkle each serving with a little sesame oil.

.THE VEGAN FOOD PYRAMID represents a way of eating that is not only healthy - high in fibre, omega three oils, proteins, and other essential nutrients; but it is kinder to our planet and all the animals that share our global home.